Chapter 5
What was the average age of the American colonists in 1775
16
What was one of the surest avenues to speedy wealth in the American colonies
A commercial venture
Who was Benjamin Franklin
A famous scientist from Pennsylvania
What resulted from the rapid population growth in colonial America during the eighteenth cenury
A momentous shift occurred in the balance of power between the colonies and the mother country
Who was Jonathan Edwards
A powerful theologian (minister) in New England who began the Great Awakening
Who was Phillis Wheatley
A slave girl who was brought to Boston at age 8 without a formal education; she was taken to England and at age 20, she published a book of poetry
What was the leading industry in the American colonies as a whole
Agriculture
How did colonial America in 1775 contrast greatly to the 17th century
Americans had become more stratified into social classes and had less social mobility
What were colonial American taverns considered to be
Another cradle of democracy, hotbeds of agitation for the Revolutionary movement, important in crystallizing public opinion and places providing amusements
By the mid 18th century, what did all the colonies have in common
Basically English in language, Protestant in religion, opportunity for social mobility and same degree of ethnic and religious toleration
Why were colonial legislatures often able to bend the power of the governors to their will
Because colonial legislatures controlled taxes and expenditures that paid the governors' salaries
Why did social and economic mobility decrease on the eve of the American Revolution
Because some merchants made huge profits as military suppliers
Who is most often called the "first civilized American"
Benjamin Franklin
What happened when several colonial legislatures attempted to restrict or halt the importation of slaves
British authorities vetoed such efforts
By 1775, how were most governors of American colonies appointed
By the King
For what reasons did the 13 Atlantic seaboard colonies seek independence
Distinctive social structures, distinctive economic structures, distinctive political structures and the appearance of a recognizably American way of life
During the colonial era, what groups of people created new societies out of diverse ethnic groups in America
English, Africans, Indians and French
How can the Scots-Irish best be described
Fiercely independent
How was culture in colonial America treated
It was generally ignored and unappreciated
Why was the jury's decision in the case of John Peter Zenger, a newspaper printer, significant
It was significant because it pointed the way to open public discussion
How was transportation in colonial America
It was slow by any of the means available
How strong was religion in colonial America by the early 18th century
Less strong than when the colonies were established
What was the major manufacturing enterprise in colonial America in the 18th century
Lumbering
What was a secondary economy activity of colonial America compared to fishing, commerce, farming and slave trade
Manufacturing
As the Revolution approached, how did Presbyterian and Congregational ministers feel about the cause
Ministers in general supported the Revolutionary cause
Where was the most and least ethnically diverse region of colonial America
Most: Middle colonies Least: New England colonies
What was the most and least honored professions in early colonial society
Most: Ministry Least: Medicine
In colonial America, where was education was most zealously promoted
New England
By the 18th century, what did each colonial region rely on for economic success
New England: fishing, lumber and commerce Middle: cattle and grain Chesapeake: tobacco South: rice and indigo
By 1775, what 4 communities could be considered full cities in colonial America
New York, Charlestown, Philadelphia and Boston
How were the riches created by the growing slave population in the American South distributed
Not evenly among whites
In colonial elections, who was the right to vote reserved for
Property holders
Where did colonial schools and colleges place their main emphasis
Religion
What were some manufactured products that the colony made
Rum, beaver hats, lumber and iron
What was one political principle that colonial Americans came to cherish above most others
Self-taxation through representation
What contributed to the lack of development of art and artists in early colonial America
Simplicity of pioneering life, lack of subjects to paint, lack of patrons who could afford the expensive art and and lack of art schools in America
What items were considered to be a naval store
Tar, pitch, rosin and turpentine
By 1775, what was the largest non-English ethnic group in colonial America
The Africans
While the population of the 13 American colonies was perhaps the most diverse in the world, what was the predominant group
The Anglo-Saxons
What did the religious doctrine of the Armenians say and how can the Armenians be compared to the Puritans
The Armenians' doctrine said that individual free will determined a person's eternal fate in contrast to the Puritans' belief in predestination; Armenians' faith was seen as a weakening of the Puritan church
In 1775, what were the only two established, tax-supported churches in colonial America
The Congregational (New England) and Anglican (Southern) churches
What church was popular on the frontier, especially with the Scots-Irish
The Presbyterian church
What ethnic group of colonists had no love for the British or any other government with regard to governmental authority
The Scots-Irish colonists
Who founded the first American college free from determined control and what was the college
The University of Pennsylvania founded by Benjamin Franklin
What did British Parliament intend for after passing the Molasses Act in 1733
The act intended to inhibit colonial trade with the French West Indies
Why did English officials try to establish the Church of England in as many colonies as possible
The church would act as a major prop for kingly authority
What was one feature of the American economy that strained the relationship between the colonies and Britain
The growing desire of Americans to trade with other nations in addition to Britain
What was the time-honored English ideal which Americans accepted for some time
The ideal regarded education as reserved for the aristocratic few
What are some achievements of Benjamin Franklin
The lightning rod, bifocal glasses, a highly efficient stove (the Franklin Stove) and author of Poor Richard's Almanack
What is the reason for the population growth of the American colonies by 1775
The natural fertility of all Americans
How did the number of poor people in the colonies compare to in England
The poor people population in the colonies was tiny compared with those in England
What conditions caused many scots to migrate to Northern Ireland and then America
The poor quality of farmland in Scotland, the spread of commercial farming, extremely high rent increase, paying taxes to support the Anglican church and the Scots-Irish was protestant
What bonded the Scots-Irish together
Their protestant religion
What was a common feature to all of the eventually rebellious colonies
Their rapidly growing populations
What did the "new light" preachers of the Great Awakening do
They delivered intensely emotional sermons
What was one of the first tasks the Scots-Irish undertook as a new community
They erected a church
By the end of the 1770's, where were 90% of the people living in colonial America
They were living in rural areas
Why did the American colonist seek trade with countries other than Great Britain
To make money to buy what they wanted in Britain
Who and what was traded in the triangular trade of the colonial American shipping industry
Trading rum for African slaves, then trading slaves for sugar cane in the West Indies, and then trading sugar cane for rum in New England
Give some characteristics of the Great Awakening
Undermined the prestige of the learned clergy in the colonies, split colonial churches into several competing denominations, led to the founding of Princeton, Dartmouth and Rutgers colleges and was the first spontaneous mass movement of the American people